Friday's French music break - Keen'V, "Saltimbanque"

Friday's French music break this week has more than a feel of Bollywood about it.

It's "Saltimbanque" by Kevin Bonnet, better known by his stage name,  Keen'V.

Quite frankly, the 32-year-old might not be among the greatest singers around but that hasn't detracted from his popular appeal and he has had a string of hits over the years including most notably "J'aimerais trop" in 2009, "La vie du bon côté" in 2012 and "Dis Moi Oui (Marina)" in 2013.

Keen'V (screenshot from appearance on "Comment ça va bien", France 2 - September 2014)

From the very beginning (in 2008 when he decided to take to the Net by posting on YouTube), Keen'V's style has most definitely been dancefloor inspired mixing elements of ragga(muffin), raggae, zouk, French "varieté", electro and simple pop to come up with a sound that most certainly makes you want to...er...strut your stuff.

Probably most popular with a teenage audience (evidence of that, perhaps, is that he picked up an NRJ music award in 2012 as Révélation francophone de l'année) but has taken steps recently to broaden his appeal to the whole family with appearances in celebrity reality TV programmes such as the French versions of "Splash", le grand plongeon (season one) and "Strictly come dancing" ("Danse avec les stars" - season four).

"Saltimbanque" is the title track from Keen'v's chart-topping fifth studio album released in 2014

True to his dance music style and that of being an acrobat or "saltimbanque" (albeit a vocal one) the song is definitely one made for...well, dancing.

Its lyrics (let's not get too deep here) come across as almost autobiographic with Keen'V "proud to be an acrobat" and having chosen music because "he prefers the nightclub atmosphere".

The song might sound a little too studio over-produced, but that doesn't really matter because its real pull lies in the electro-Bollywood feel and beat.

Take a listen. The official video only features a still of Keen'V and the lyrics, which is a bit of a shame because their a real dance performance would have been a bonus.

And if you want to catch Keen'V live, you're in luck because he'll be embarking on a two-month nationwide tour of France from April with dates scheduled in a number of Zeniths including those in Amiens, Caen, Paris, Toulouse and his home city of Rouen.

Bon week-end and enjoy.

Friday's French music break - Shakira, "Je l'aime a mourir"

Friday's French music break this week is sung by a woman who surely needs no introduction as she's one of the biggest international stars around today.

Shakira.

Shakira (screenshot from NRJ Music Awards)

It's her rendition - sung in French - of a song originally written and performed by Francis Cabrel.

Unless you've not flipped on a French music radio station recently or seen a variety programme on television, you cannot help but have heard it.

Not surprisingly given the song's exposure and Shakira's 2010 and 2011 concerts dates in France as well as the release of the song as part of the "Live from Paris" DVD, her version of "Je l'aime a mourir" entered the French charts at number one in the middle of January.

While you've probably heard of Shakira, you might not be familiar with Cabrel and quite frankly, as a matter of general French popular music culture you should be.

The 58-year-old is arguably one of the best songwriters of his generation.

He first recorded and released "Je l'aime à mourir" in 1979 and then in 1998 he re-released it as "La quiero a morir" on his Spanish-language album "Algo más de amor".

Cabrel's appeal probably lies in the poetic nature of his lyrics and polished melodies.

Indeed "Je l'aime à mourir" is one example of several of his songs that cut across generations and the chances are (if you live in France) that you know a French person or two (or several) who could sing along without any trouble.

If you need more words, then try the excellent and not-too-long biography on Radio France Internationale which tracks the career of "one of the most prominent figures on the French music scene" from his humble beginnings in the département of Lot et Garonne, the influence of Bob Dylan on his writing style, his attachment to the village of Astaffort away from the glare of celebrity, his charity work throughout the years and some truly memorable songs along the way.

Meanwhile back to Shakira, and although there are plenty of live recordings of her singing "Je l'aime a mourir" available on YouTube if you want to search, here's one from a performance at the recently televised NRJ Music Awards in Cannes.

So sit back and enjoy.

It'll give you a taste of Cabrel's magical songwriting skills and maybe encourage you to listen to some of his other material.

Bon week-end.